Staying In
by TheKingdomYasha
Summary: Gray finds out a secret that was supposed to be...well...a secret.
Hello everyone! I just recently uploaded three little oneshots that I wrote over the past couple days. Now that I got those out of my hair, I decided to make another story with two or three chapters. I hope you enjoy this one! Don't forget to review and favorite!

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Natsu was staying in today, it just wasn't his day. Gray and Juvia were out on a date, and honesty, it broke Natsu's heart. He loved that boy with everything in him. He was in his room, looking out of the window, just thinking endlessly.

'Maybe if I were up his ass like Juvia, he would have gotten the message.' He thought.

"Natsu…are you awake yet? You've been in there all day." Said Happy.  
"I'm fine, Happy. I'm just staying home today." Said Natsu. Happy looked sad.

"But Gray said that we all were going to Lucy's tonight. Are you not coming?" he asked in a sad tone.

"I don't think I am, Happy. I'm sorry…"

"Natsu, I know you're upset, and I know you love him, but you just gotta let things be. Moping around won't do you any good, Natsu!" said Happy. Natsu just nodded, and looked out the window. He just sighed and wished he were with him. Happy gave Natsu a hug and said goodbye.

"I'm leaving now, if you wanna come, don't stop yourself!" said Happy. Again, Natsu just nodded.

Happy went to the guild, and Lucy and Gray were sitting there waiting for Happy and Natsu.

"Happy? Where's Natsu?" asked Lucy.

"Don't tell me the bum is still sleeping…" said Gray. Juvia just laughed and Gray seemed annoyed by the simple fact that she was clung to the side of him like a dog.

"He's not coming. He's having a really bad day." Lucy and Gray looked shocked, and Juvia was just staring at Gray the whole time.

"What would make Natsu not wanna hang out with us? He's always wanting to have a good time." said Lucy.

"I can tell you, but you can't tell anyone! Juvia can't hear about it either!" said Happy. Gray looked at Juvia.

"It'll just be a second…" he said to her. She nodded and she walked away.

"What's up, Happy?" asked Gray.

"A-Alright…this may sound weird…but…Gray…Natsu kind of…has a thing for you." Said Happy. Gray's eyes went wide. Lucy's as well.

"W-What? Since when?" asked Gray.

"I'm not sure…but it's mating season and since he's a dragon slayer, he goes into heat like an actual dragon would. You're his chosen one, and he's just really down in the dumps because you love Juvia." He said. "He hasn't even gotten out of bed yet, he hasn't ate, and he just looked out the window and doesn't say a word." Said Happy.

"That's why he's been so distant towards you, Gray! He's been trying to hide it so he doesn't ruin anything. Oh, the poor guy. He must be heartbroken." Said Lucy. Gray was blushing and avoided eye contact from everyone.

"I…I had no idea." He said.

"Please don't get pressured into anything, Gray. Dragons in heat don't choose their mates." Said Happy.

"But…I…I don't want him to be like that forever…I don't even love Juvia." Said Gray. "Does he know I went out with her today?" asked Gray. Happy nodded. Gray mentally slapped himself in the face.

"Dammit…" he said.

"Gray…do you like Natsu as well?" asked Lucy. Gray blushed harder.

"Well, I…I don't want him feeling bad…that's it." He said. "I think I'm gonna go talk to him." He said.

"Please don't tell him I told you! Just act like you don't know anything! Please Gray!" begged Happy. Gray nodded.

He walked to Natsu's apartment and walked in since the door was unlocked. The entire house was clean and smelt fresh. Natsu's room door was wide open, and he saw a lump in his bed.

"N-Natsu?" asked Gray. The lump didn't move.

"Hey." Said Natsu in a low tone. Gray felt even worse.

"Um…Happy told me you weren't feeling well. Are you okay?" asked Gray.

"I'm fine." He said. Gray walked in and sat on his bed.

"There's something you're not telling me." Said Gray. Natsu sat up and the blanket fell off, revealing his bare chest. He rubbed his eyes and just looked down.

"I'm okay. It's just not my day." He said. He tried to smile, but Gray saw right through him. He saw that he had been crying, and that his face looked tired, so he probably lost sleep over the past couple nights.

"You're not okay…" said Gray. Natsu tried to ignore him, but his eyes welled up with tears and they threatened to fall. He covered his face with his hand and they fell down his face. Gray saw and his heart shattered. His own eyes welled up, but he stopped and pulled Natsu into a tight embrace. The way Natsu hugged him back, how tight he held on, almost as if someone was trying to pull him away, made it clear that Natsu needed him for a long time. Natsu began sobbing, and Gray couldn't take it anymore.

"Happy told me everything…" said Gray, with his voice cracking. He felt Natsu freeze.

"W-What." He said as he pulled away.

"He told me everything." Said Gray. Natsu blushed and tears fell again. This time in embarrassment. He covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry that I didn't notice earlier…and I'm sorry that I went out with Juvia. He told me how bad that hurt you." A tear fell down Gray's face. He quickly wiped it away before Natsu could notice that he was crying. "I…I don't know if I feel the same way, but I do know I feel something." Said Gray. Natsu shook his head.

"Nobody was supposed to find out…it was supposed to just go away like a phase…" said Natsu.

"But what would happen if a dragon doesn't mate with someone during their heat?"

"They won't find another mate…but I was willing to take that risk." Said Natsu, still crying.

"Natsu…why?"

"I just feel like it's better than having your mate reject you. If your mate rejects you, you won't go into heat again but that means you'll never find another mate. If I kept it a secret, I would still go into heat every year. This ruined everything…" said Natsu, sobbing. Gray's heart grew so heavy that he almost burst into tears.

"Why would you just jump into conclusions like that?" asked Gray in a louder tone. Natsu finally calmed down and wiped the tears away.

"Gray, I know that there's no chance for me. I'm not stupid. It would have been a stupid mistake to try. Besides, you already have someone. It would be wrong of me to mess that up." Said Natsu. Tears were now falling down Gray's face. Natsu was confused. "G-Gray? Why are you crying?" he asked. Gray quickly pulled him into another tight embrace.

"I don't love Juvia." He said. Natsu's eyes widened. "I never did. I do have feelings for you, Natsu." He said. Natsu's eyes welled up with tears for the millionth time that day and he hugged Gray back.  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he sobbed

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were so depressed. I would have come so much sooner, but…I didn't know. I'm sorry I made you go through this." said Gray. He kissed Natsu's cheek and pulled him in again.

"Please don't tell me this is a joke…please tell me this is real…" said Natsu, sobbing uncontrollable. Gray was in shock. Natsu loved him that much? To where he didn't know if all of this was real.

"It's real, Natsu. I…I…Love you." He said. He felt Natsu tighten the embrace.

"I love you too, ice princess." He sobbed. Gray smiled at the fact that he was still calling him that, even with him crying uncontrollably. Gray kissed his neck and cheek over and over, wrapping his arms around his new lover. Natsu kissed his shoulder once and pulled away from the hug. He cupped Gray's cheeks and just stared at him. 'This _is_ real…' he thought.

"You alright?" asked Gray.

"Y-yeah. Sorry. I…I just never got to admire your face fully until now…" said Natsu. Gray blushed.

"O-Oh."

"Sorry, it's weird I know. But you're just so…uh…attractive." started Natsu. Gray laughed and kissed his forehead.

"Yeah, you're pretty hot as well. Literally and physically." He said. Natsu smirked. "I don't want you crying anymore, okay?" asked Gray.

"As long as you promise that you're not doing this out of pity." Said Natsu. Gray lifted Natsu's head by his chin and stared into his eyes. Their lips got closer and closer together until they finally connected. Their eyes closed and they let the kiss take over. They wrapped their arms around each other as their tongues explored each others mouths. They broke the kiss and they were both blushing.

" _That_ wasn't out of pity." Said Gray.

"That was everything I've been waiting for." Said Natsu.

"I still need to get used to this side of you, Natsu." Said Gray with a grin on his face. Natsu rolled his eyes and held him closer.

"Hey, I'm not that bad! I'm just not affectionate. Don't expect me to get all over you in public either!" teased Natsu. Gray just smiled and kissed his forehead.

"So, how about Lucy's house tonight?" asked Gray.

"Does everyone know that I was being a baby?" asked Natsu. Gray chuckled.

"You weren't being a baby, and only me and Lucy know." Said Gray. Natsu nodded.

"Alright, then I'll go." Said Natsu. Gray took this moment to look at Natsu's golden eyes. Those golden orbs that made him melt inside. He just smiled and kept staring. Natsu looked back into the dark depths of his eyes. They both felt full, not in their stomachs but in their hearts. As confusing as love can be, it was so relieving that it finally made sense.

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How was it? As usual, I'm obsessed with making my stories have angst that make you wanna cry yourself to sleep. Next chapter is coming soon! Stay tuned and don't forget to favorite this story and leave a review!


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